The South African half of the four-match Twenty20 home and away series between these two teams has arrived but the promise it could have been accompanied with, has not. Pakistan were outplayed in the UAE, in both matches, although the result of the second's suggested it was much closer than it really was.

Batting collapses at the top and tail of their innings have left Pakistan with plenty of repair work to do. They spent two days after their arrival in South Africa training at the Wanderers but decided to take the day before the match off. Still, they've had more preparation time than South Africa, who only regrouped on Tuesday.

South Africa could afford to take the extra day off. They don't have many areas of concern with a batting order that is settling into its roles and bowlers firing even in conditions that are unfamiliar to them. Their main conundrum ahead of the match has been caused by a case of too much choice and they will have to decide who to leave out.

While the hosts will aim for consolidation of the gains they have made in the shortest format with an eye on the No. 1 ranking, the visiting team will focus on rectifying their mistakes, the weather could have other plans. Rain is forecast throughout Wednesday for Johannesburg.

Pakistan's batting has been their Achilles' Heel throughout the series against South Africa and it's not going to get any easier for them. The conditions and the opponent's attack on their home turf will mean Pakistan's line-up have to brace themselves against the short ball. The Wanderers track will facilitate good bounce and carry, Dale Steyn and co will be baying for blood and Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez will have to have made swift improvements to play the pull shot. All three have been susceptible to getting out when it's banged in short and will have to ensure they are better equipped for what could be a barrage in South Africa.

Team news

With Mohammad Irfan ruled out of the tour, Pakistan will have to look for other quick options. Junaid Khan and Sohail Tanvir will do the bulk of the seam-bowling duties and they will have to make a decision on whether to include Anwar Ali - who also offers a bit with the bat down the order - or hand Bilawal Bhatti, who has only played 10 T20 games domestically, a debut.

Shoaib Malik will not be able to bolster the middle order after he was ruled out of the series with a finger injury. That will open the door for either Umar Amin or Asad Shafiq. There's not too much else Pakistan can do. Hafeez will likely not fancy opening against Steyn which may give Nasir Jamshed another opportunity. Abdul Razzaq has also been ruled out of the series with a hamstring niggle.

With an unchanged squad, South Africa will use this as another opportunity to try different combinations. If they choose to retain Henry Davids, he should bat higher up the order than he did in Dubai. Hashim Amla may be rested as a result. JP Duminy could slot back into the middle order but it may be difficult to make room for Morne Morkel unless one of Wayne Parnell or Lonwabo Tsotsobe sits out. On surfaces that are unlikely to offer much to the spinners, South Africa my opt for the holding spinner in Aaron Phangiso.

Despite a lean patch in Tests and ODIs, Faf du Plessis is the sixth-highest run-scorer in T20s this year, 76 runs behind the leader, Ahmed Shehzad.

The Wanderers has a reputation for bounce and carry but has also provided some of the best surfaces for batsmen. It has a fairly even record in T20s with the team batting first winning nine of the 20 matches played here.

Quotes

"When team management decided to rest a couple of the senior players, it provided opportunities and I think that a lot of the players have responded positively to that."Ryan McLaren believes the absence of the likes of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis and the rotation of bowlers has helped South Africa explore its depth.

"We are just resting."Moin Khan, Pakistan's team manager gave a simple answer for Pakistan's decision to take Tuesday off.

Unbelievable, they still have Umar Amin in there - especially for a T20. He has done really nothing. Sorry to say the Pak team are not professionals. They can talk as much talent and technique. The players don't learn how to field, the bowlers cannot bat at all, the batsmen have no mental capacity and the selectors choose players like Umar Amin .. they try their best to lose from all angles.

muddu123
on November 20, 2013, 16:52 GMT

i think its just an intentionally razzak and malik was dropped ,,,,, pakistan selecting committe is not good and players co ordination is not good thats y tody pakistan seeing the face of failure.....

gsingh7
on November 20, 2013, 16:36 GMT

poor selection by pak coach . why are new youngsters not played in worthless t20 before odis. expecting big win for sa who are still on their way to top 3 in t20. but still out of top 4 in odis . may the best team win. pak needs to win this match as they were just beaten 4-1 in home series.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 16:22 GMT

Inshaa'Allah Pakistan will bounce back in two T2o's and will become number 1 in the ranking, best of Luck.

muddu123
on November 20, 2013, 16:15 GMT

hi pakistani selectors my question is y dont u select imran nazir one of the good scoring batsmen during first 10 overs.....

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 16:15 GMT

Okay, so I am confused, why are they letting Shahid Afridi play? He was really good (and lucky) when he was young. His bowling is still descent, but we need young all rounders like Hammad Azam, I know he hasn't performed much, but he needs to be motivated. He can be a really good all rounder for Pakistan. But, we really need to get rid of Shahid Afridi, seriously....

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 16:03 GMT

unlucky that v dont have Razzaq n Malik today

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 15:31 GMT

I hope this time they give chance to Anwer Ali instead of Sohail Tanveer, Sohail Tanveer has been tested for more than 5 years and everyone knows he has never performed neither in bowling nor in batting, so the selector should stop selecting him and give chance to some young legs

The-love
on November 20, 2013, 15:01 GMT

I think,it will be better if Pak use Hafeez as a specialist bowler which he is more than capable of and who can bat a bit but not in top order.He should come down the order and try some 25 balls 30 which should be enough.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 15:00 GMT

mediocre batting selection For one day matches and mediocre selections in general. Considering Mohammad Irfan is not playing you better get on your knees and start praying to God for loosing with grace.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 16:55 GMT

Unbelievable, they still have Umar Amin in there - especially for a T20. He has done really nothing. Sorry to say the Pak team are not professionals. They can talk as much talent and technique. The players don't learn how to field, the bowlers cannot bat at all, the batsmen have no mental capacity and the selectors choose players like Umar Amin .. they try their best to lose from all angles.

muddu123
on November 20, 2013, 16:52 GMT

i think its just an intentionally razzak and malik was dropped ,,,,, pakistan selecting committe is not good and players co ordination is not good thats y tody pakistan seeing the face of failure.....

gsingh7
on November 20, 2013, 16:36 GMT

poor selection by pak coach . why are new youngsters not played in worthless t20 before odis. expecting big win for sa who are still on their way to top 3 in t20. but still out of top 4 in odis . may the best team win. pak needs to win this match as they were just beaten 4-1 in home series.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 16:22 GMT

Inshaa'Allah Pakistan will bounce back in two T2o's and will become number 1 in the ranking, best of Luck.

muddu123
on November 20, 2013, 16:15 GMT

hi pakistani selectors my question is y dont u select imran nazir one of the good scoring batsmen during first 10 overs.....

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 16:15 GMT

Okay, so I am confused, why are they letting Shahid Afridi play? He was really good (and lucky) when he was young. His bowling is still descent, but we need young all rounders like Hammad Azam, I know he hasn't performed much, but he needs to be motivated. He can be a really good all rounder for Pakistan. But, we really need to get rid of Shahid Afridi, seriously....

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 16:03 GMT

unlucky that v dont have Razzaq n Malik today

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 15:31 GMT

I hope this time they give chance to Anwer Ali instead of Sohail Tanveer, Sohail Tanveer has been tested for more than 5 years and everyone knows he has never performed neither in bowling nor in batting, so the selector should stop selecting him and give chance to some young legs

The-love
on November 20, 2013, 15:01 GMT

I think,it will be better if Pak use Hafeez as a specialist bowler which he is more than capable of and who can bat a bit but not in top order.He should come down the order and try some 25 balls 30 which should be enough.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 15:00 GMT

mediocre batting selection For one day matches and mediocre selections in general. Considering Mohammad Irfan is not playing you better get on your knees and start praying to God for loosing with grace.

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 14:57 GMT

i hope it dnt rainnn

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 14:53 GMT

It's too late to make any changes in the team; however, here's my two cents: (in batting order) Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, M. Hafeez, Shahid AFridi, Anwer Ali, Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan.
If it were up to me, I'd try this combination through the whole series, T20 and ODIs.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 14:35 GMT

It is gonna be Mind blowing.. Eagerly Waiting for AFRIDI's Cracker... East or West AFRIDI is best. North or South AFRIDI is Worth. AFRIDI AFRIDI AFRIDI.......... Love You Lala

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 14:27 GMT

It is going to be mind blowing match. Insha allah Afridi gonna crack the crackers.. Eagerly waiting to see the match... East or West AFRIDI is best.. North or South AFRIDI is Worth... Can anybody Oppose this...?

Stark62
on November 20, 2013, 13:51 GMT

I still believe, Pak are a top T20 team and they can bounce from their defeats in this format (although ODI's will be different).

Misbah isn't needed for this format and neither is Shafiq because they were both playing in T20's when we were defeated by Eng in T20's and ever since Misbah was dropped from T20 captaincy and the team along with Shafiq, Pak shot up to the no. 2 ranking and close to being no. 1, which means we are in the right direction and need to stick with the youngsters like Haris and Hammad, who were dropped for Razzaq and Malik in the recent series.

thirdmanboundary
on November 20, 2013, 13:49 GMT

Can't understand why Philander isn't in the SA squad, esp in SA conditions. He bowled beautiful lines in tough conditions 2 weeks ago and was impossible to put away. He also deepens the batting line up. I'd have in the team ahead of any bowler bar Steyn.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 13:23 GMT

I have seen Anwer Ali's performance in domestic cricket and he is a good cricketer. I think team Pakistan should give a chance to him and he should come before Afridi

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 13:22 GMT

best of luck green team........ omit the past mistakes and look forward......ALLAH is with u.......... u r the best in world......

DineshKanwar
on November 20, 2013, 13:20 GMT

SA is a good team, very good team and a reason they are number #1. I had hoped after the first test that by defeating them, they could put some doubts in their minds, which when we tour them later can capitalize. We have never won test series in SA, but always competed with them well in last few trips. With little bit of luck (you need that aplenty when dealing with incredible team SA), major players play across formats, so when say Ajmal create doubts in mind of ADV/Faf/Duminy, that would only help bowler like Ashwin who is no where closer to Ajmal but good enough to capitalize on such scenarios. But time & again Pak will choose wrong team, play with 3-4 bowling all rounders like @delhi-belly said, throwing off the balance of the team. For god's sake score 140 in T20 and 230 in ODIs to allow some breathing space to this marvelous bowling lineup. Best wishes

espncricinfomobile
on November 20, 2013, 13:06 GMT

Afridi and Hafeez need to make way for new and able talents

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 13:06 GMT

It is blessing in disguise for the youngsters, (Anwar Ali & Bilalwal) to show that they should have been give opportunities logng ago, IF THEY ARE GIVEN CHANCE to play.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 13:00 GMT

I don't see any meaning of having a return series so soon. It kills off any hype the series can provide. This is not the first time, but even the last time it was similar.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 12:57 GMT

It is blessing in disguise for the youngsters, (Anwar Ali & Bilalwal) to show that they should have been give opportunities logng ago, IF THEY ARE GIVEN CHANCE to play.

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 12:48 GMT

I think it will be a white wash of Pakistan and watching them play will be a complete waste of time.

Hunters77
on November 20, 2013, 12:40 GMT

It is terrible to see Pakistan go through such a terrible phase but I do not believe they are developing enough young players they still rely too heavily on Afridi and Hafeez both are good players but I feel the pressure on them to perform sometimes leads to their mistakes. I really am sad that we could never see the Paki greats like Akram and Waqar play T20 as a boy I watched them demolish tough South African opposition here in South Africa.

Why does Pakistan have so many talented players playing as mercinaries for other countries and they continue to struggle at home finding new talent.
As a Sri Lankan fan I see this type of problem will soon also effect Sri Lankan cricket so my advice to Pakistan and Sri Lankan team selectors inject some new blood even if it means sacrificing a few matches.

Sometimes it is better to lose a few battles and win the war (Cricket World Cup)

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 12:15 GMT

@delhi belly i agree with your comment. 5 specialist batsman is very much required here and more so Abdul Razaq should be included as All-rounder insha allah and not afridi or Hafiz or shoaib.

the only way Pakistan can arrest their run of 5 straight defeats to SA is if it rains!!

delhi-belly
on November 20, 2013, 11:32 GMT

I think the problem with Pakistan batting is that they are not playing specialist batsmen in the team. The current team includes only a couple of specialist batsmen and a handful of all rounders who are all bowling all rounders. The bowling all rounders most of the time perform with their bowling and retain their place whereas the batting continues to suffer. Pakistan has excellent bowlers who can challenge the best in the world so no need to reinforce them with such bowling all rounders. They should strictly play 5 specialist batsmen and Pakistan will be a formidable force once again.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 11:08 GMT

As a Bangladeshi, i profoundly disagree with most Pakistani supporters that their present squad is talent-less. The Pakistani players are understandably lacking in pride and this problem stems from not being able to play Test, ODI and T20 matches at home in Pakistan. Putting up young talented players on foreign soil is not going to solve the problem, in-fact as we can see it is having the opposite effect. There is no better place to restore back pride, passion, confidence and to introduce young talent then at HOME. Somehow the PCB needs to restore faith in the Test playing nations to tour Pakistan with full ICC backing.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 11:00 GMT

we know that there is strong lobby of hafeez but question is that who will break it

reality_check
on November 20, 2013, 10:04 GMT

On average, strong batting will win you more short format matches than strong bowling. You have better chance of chasing a big total or putting up a good total and defending in with your fielding. This has been proven recently by India. Pakistan has good, not excellent, bowling and below average batting and fielding. Batting is actually way below average. This combination won't win any ODI or T20 matches against the top four or five teams.

Unless Pakistan batting holds up on SA green top pitches, I see a whitewash in SA favour.

mynameiskhan1234
on November 20, 2013, 9:54 GMT

well.. i would say that pakistan should play attacking and aggressive cricket as they use too.. when they can make runs against irfan and junaid where indian batting line was bite the dust against them,.. then why they wouldn't make runs against sa

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 9:51 GMT

Pakistani batsman cant play short balls,cant play swing at all,failing against Imran's spin what else to say Poor batting
Hafeez shouldn't be captain at all he is one political selfish lad
Pakistan wasted top class all-rounder ( match winning) Abdul Razzaq always been unfair with him and now he is struggling( pretty much end of his career)
Change of captanicy will help Pakistan and give more and more chances to new talent before world cup !
Good Luck Pakistan

S.Alis
on November 20, 2013, 9:39 GMT

Test.. What test? It's going to be clean wash without any fight. I lost my interest in cricket when they lost that 1st ODI in U.A.E. Didn't watched another match and how glad i am.

Solid_Snake
on November 20, 2013, 9:24 GMT

Lol..Same old faces..Tried & tested Failures.
Team having a captain whose position itself is not justified.Imagine rest of the players.Hafeez a professional player cannot even tackle one bowler..Failing again & again against Steyn.If it was Steyn laughing at me,i would have done something about it.Would have made sure that such thing would never happen again.But here we got same story repeating again & again.It's time we get rid of such pathetic players

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 9:20 GMT

Hafeez should bat in lower middle order as a bowler, and asad shafiq should play one down or opener while umar akmal on one down or no.4 they should shuffle the team for best combination hafeez's technique is v.poor against fast bowlers he should play when ever spin is introduced and play more like a slogger...

Sachit1979
on November 20, 2013, 9:19 GMT

Bilawal Bhatti is only excitement to follow this match. Otherwise it is gonna be another sorry saga for Pak Cricket. I hope atleast Shehzad and Maqsood also do better.

ICCexpert....
on November 20, 2013, 9:17 GMT

there is a strong lobby of Hafeez, Afridi and Moin Khan, they will not let Yunis be the in the team and wont allow a talented and fearsome player like Sharjeel to come in Pak side because that will put Hafeez and Afridi in danger of losing there place. Hope they get another whitewash and there is a major re-shuffle. Hafiz, Afridi and Moin dont deserve to be a part of Pakistan cricket.

tvumpire.com
on November 20, 2013, 9:06 GMT

@mzm149. Hope you have watched India's last tour of SA. Where India won 1 test and 2 ODIs. In all of them, indian bowlers did good job. Check the stats before laugh.

umerkhagga
on November 20, 2013, 8:24 GMT

i think sami aslam, zia ul haq and hammad azam playing for NBP domestic team, imran ali for Sui Gas and rehan afridi for abbottabad must be given opportunity and should be groomed for WC 2015. u can check their record in recent domestic competition.
Muhammad hafeez, shahid afridi and Suhail tanvir must be sacked.

Karthik78
on November 20, 2013, 8:06 GMT

Again Afridi!! Unless these senior players qui, Pakistan will continue to perform same like recent matches.

mzm149
on November 20, 2013, 7:59 GMT

@himanshu.team: As far as Indian batsmen putting up fight is concerned, it's probable. But Indian bowlers troubling Proteas is the most humorous thing I have heard.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 7:47 GMT

My dear Indian friends ,even we will be travelling next month without the FAV4 ,
Tough time ahead
fingers crossed....

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 7:31 GMT

bilawal bhatti should be given chance in first game instead of umer amin. Sohaib should play on his number 3

himanshu.team
on November 20, 2013, 7:26 GMT

@mzm149: At least Indian batsmen will put up a fight and the bowlers trouble for the Porteas. Unlike the cakewalk they can expect now and then.

Samee0324
on November 20, 2013, 7:24 GMT

My Indian brothers! calm down and watch what happens today.. yes we are going through from a difficult phase but let me remind you names like Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Maqsood, Anwar Ali, Bhatti, Junaid Khan, Asad Shafiq and many more such as Sami Aslam, Khurram Manzoor, Shan Masood and Harris Sohail all are the Future of Pakistan.. It will take some time to adjust in International Cricket but we are there and we will be there soon!! its just a matter of time..Please note we are not getting opportunities to play in our home land because of security reason and still our team is trying to perform well in all three formats

Cricket_Man
on November 20, 2013, 7:21 GMT

I agree with Shafqat Ashai except for the part where he mentions Waqar Younis being used as a talent hunter. Shoaib Akhtar said in an interview recently that during the England tour of 2009, where Irfan made his ODI debut, Waqar Younis and Afridi thought that Irfan was an ordinary bowler with no talent. Waqar's bowling, especially his reverse-swinging yorkers, were great but he has had his chances. Also that Waqar has not been active in any way in the domestic cricket. A guy like Rashid Latif can be valuable for such a role because he is involved in domestic cricket and can gauge talent easily. Otherwise, facts are good enough to know which players should be getting chances. Stats of players like Harris Sohail, Sami Aslam and Sadaf Hussain prove that they should be in the squad.

OverDcovers
on November 20, 2013, 7:19 GMT

Hafeez himself is the worse thing that has happened to this team so how can one expect something different from what we say recently on placid pitches in UAE? Yes one thing can be different and that most probably would be-More Battering for Pakistan!

mzm149
on November 20, 2013, 7:00 GMT

@Dravid_Sachin_Gravitas_Atheist: I am wondering what will be more fun to watch next month: featherbed centurions from India crumbling in South Africa or medium pace trundlers from India getting good spanking.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 6:50 GMT

Pakistan is always unpredictable. Whoever is playing is no the issue, the issue is on any given day, if Pakistan is committed to win then there is no team that can stop them from winning. I believe, it will be an exciting series.

mzm149
on November 20, 2013, 6:45 GMT

It will be interesting to see how Imran Tahir performs on pitches not conducive to spin bowling. Adelaide drubbing will be in selector's minds before giving him another chance at home. Imran is an average bowler made to look better by Pakistani batting.

neo-galactico
on November 20, 2013, 6:39 GMT

It's gloomy in Joburg today so the best one can expect is a 5 overs-a-side game because showers are expected for later.

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 6:39 GMT

pakistan team for the t20 match will be shezad nasir sohaib hafeez u.akmal ameen/anwar afridi ajmal bilawal and junaid bcoz misbah and asad are in cape town so they are not playing tomorows t20 i hope pakistan give youngsyers a chance to show their ability pakistan will win INSHALLAH

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on November 20, 2013, 6:32 GMT

It'll be really interesting and fun to watch the batless wonders of our dear neighbours facing the Proteas in South Africa. It's going to be a one-sided affair.

shahnbej
on November 20, 2013, 6:09 GMT

Training should be given back home not at international level and every youngsters earn the old player position and not just handover senior player position free of coast to them. Such a practice lower the standard and nothing else. Some of us giving an example of Indian team but they don't know that their new player scored century in very first match they played. they earned their position in team and position is not gifted.

tvumpire.com
on November 20, 2013, 6:01 GMT

Pakistan not even able to score on an average bowling, then no need to comment about short balls. Chances of an all out under 100. Pakistan played most number of T20 (35) and still they are at 4 place only!. That shows how weak they are in T20 too.

Masking_Tape
on November 20, 2013, 6:00 GMT

WHAT!? They are playing again! This makes no sense! Why didn't they just invite someone else to fill in the spot!

Pak_Guru
on November 20, 2013, 5:29 GMT

honestly play Misbah today, i know he is not in T20 side but atleast he can give some stability to this miserable batting lineup. even Ashwin and Jadeja display more confidence that Pak top order. Even Bhubhaneshwar Kumar has a hundred in domestic cricket.

Pak_Guru
on November 20, 2013, 5:19 GMT

I think its time to try youngsters like Sami Aslam during the upcoming SL series, good opportunity to check his caliber. I do agree Amin should be included only in Test squad and Shafiq should not be part of T20 team.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 4:50 GMT

If we lose with fresh legs, at least these fresh legs will gain some experience for the World Cup.

Please note, we have continued to lose cricket matches with the old players. They all are too old to play T20 cricket.

We need to groom young, promising players. You do not have to go too far; look at the Indian team. They even rested Sehwag and Zaheer. To groom young players, this SA tour would have been the perfect opportunity, which has been squandered.

The selectors need to consult Waqar, who as hawkish eye and can point out the right, promising, young cricket players.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 4:29 GMT

There are still too many old, failed players in the Pakistani team. Every time they have won, it is because of new players. Why Hammad Azam (who is a prolific batsman and a fast bowler), Harris, Shan, and Khurram are NOT in the team, I am at a loss to explain.

The selectors need to look at stats. They can't close their eyes and keep on selecting old players like Hafeez and Afridi, who have performed so poorly in the last five matches that if stats are to be relied upon, they should bat after Ajmal.

Every Pakistani is running out of excuses for them to be in the team! They need to be rested.

We do NOT want Younis or Misbah in T20 team, we need the young blood.

gibbs.175
on November 20, 2013, 4:15 GMT

hi SA fans.....If pak play responsibly .they must win .if they don't ,SA will take it easily .Because pakistan cricket team is the strongest one in the world.But they never
Play as one unit ,that is why they already take control over the game before lost that,,,,why ??? Because ......? We know ...........it, let's see good cricket,( D.Kock,,,.).........good luck

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 4:09 GMT

Bring in Kamran Ghulam. He can bowl well . he can bat well. so he will be a gem in PAKISTAN squad if he selected.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 3:55 GMT

today the pak team is going to win.becoz afridi & u akmal will shine

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 3:41 GMT

as in view pak team 11 is :: shehzad,jamshed,afridi,maqsood,misbah,u akmal,hafeez,tanvir,anwar ali,ajmal,junaid

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 3:38 GMT

Pakistan has much better 1 day and T20 batsmen. When will they have opportunity? Hammad Azam, Usman Salahuddin, Fawad Alam, Sami Aslam, Harris Sohail, many many more. Many of them going close to 25 years of age with little or no chance at all. Okay, Misbah is good batsman who has highest number of runs in 1 day on 2013, but does that matter if he is not a finisher, Huge ? mark.

android_user
on November 20, 2013, 0:08 GMT

guys I think rather than praying for a good game we should pray for a game... chances of this game being washed away are bright...

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 23:37 GMT

I have to ask all Pakistan fans this question - Is your cupboard really that bare that you can't bring any new batsmen on this tour? I look at guys like Manzoor, Masood, Maqsood and Shafiq...all in their own way made an impact on the series v SA - whether it be test or ODI or T20. I don't think Shafiq is an ODI player, nor do I think Amin is an ODI player necessarily. But, there is surely lots of talent in Pak - just look at Maqsood. Why can't you give a couple of other youngsters a go, encourage them to play their natural game, and see what happens. For me that's what stood out with Maqsood - he played without fear. Amin, on the other hand, looked petrified. He looked like he was playing for his life. The young guys have to be encouraged to play their natural game. But I'm really disappointed that Pakistan haven't brought any other young guys on this tour.

BlueJayBanter
on November 19, 2013, 23:17 GMT

@Faizan Khan... I hear you loud and clear brother. And adding to the list of uncapped pakistani cricketers that would do wonders for the country is Sadaf Hussain. For those who havent checked this boys stats, please do so because hes a no brainer for the test squad. Easily the most overlooked pakistani paceman in the country. His stats back my assessment.

We should be more patient with junior players. I am not entirely convinced that Umar Amin is the player to fill the number 6 position in ODIs atleast but in T20 may be. Have mentioned many times that we must be patient with 3 players in particular; Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafique and Khurram Manzoor as these are the ones who have all the tools to succeed at international level. People are thrilled by Sohaib Maqsood, i hope he do well in future but I am not raising my hopes too much as I still remember how Umar AKmal who started his career in similar fashion have gone downhill in his performances despite getting so many chances

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 19:59 GMT

south africa again have a very big edge over pak as the first t 20 in africa. they have out classed pak in uae and again they are in a position to repeat it. there is no misbah to countrol the innings so there are only few players to do some resistance again africa. but one thing i tell u , imran tahir will not be so effective tomorrow. so if pak stops styn and doesnot give him wickets, pak can score good.
i dont ask my friends to follow me, but amazingly i am tipping pak to win this contst. hahahhaha. if pak bats first, just take a chance for pak a bit, i asure you that pak , this time is not going to collaps. and if afirca bats first which is less possibl, and score more than 150, the game will end. pak bats first, 60/40.. africa bats first, africa 80/20. javed karachi

t20cric
on November 19, 2013, 19:08 GMT

There is an interesting twist to this series now with Misbah actually being possible for selection inT20s and both Malik and Razzaq out. With Misbah in the T20 team he may start to bat more attackingly and win matches for us. I think Pakistan need to play as many of their younger players as they can.

I'm not sure why in the suggested line up are Anwar Ali and Bilawal Bhatti probables for no. 11 when they both can bat a bit. Alo I think the second match was actually closer then the scoreline suggests.

Kumail_Asadi
on November 19, 2013, 18:49 GMT

In my opinion Pakistan winning toss and then bating first.
If Misbah will be included on this surface which is supporting spinners, it will be superb decision.
If Misabh is there i can say tomorrow Pak is going to win InshAllah.
Misbah will brilliantly returned back to T20.

H.M.
on November 19, 2013, 18:31 GMT

Pakistan should play their best batsmen upfront and move hafeez down the order.

For a team struggling with the bat it is strange to play with 6 bowlers. Pak should play a proper batsman instead of Afridi, having a weak batting line up puts unnecessary extra pressure on the batsmen included in the team.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 18:20 GMT

good team but in next t20 replace misbah by afridi

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 18:03 GMT

I am sick of seeing mediocre Selection committee members selecting mediocre team players its just sickening to Watch any longer. Nor young players are selected on merit nor the selection committee members itself are there on merit nor do they have credibility to make good changes, they probably don't even understand the word " merit ". What they love is Imran Farhat kinds or his brother Humayun Farhat or maybe they love Akmal Family its just about their love with anyone and everyone they like whom will get selected into the team and players with credible domestic performances just wonder and what else can they do. Now days they are more in love with Umar Amin, Mohammad Hafiz , Ahmed Shehzad , Asad Shafiq ; one may ask how to justify they dont deserve to be in the side then compare there domestic records with other players for example Azhar Ali,Fawad Alam , Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif ,Taufeeq Umar (TOP T20 PLAYER IN DOMESTICS not given single chance) etccccccccccccccc

Mr.Chandu
on November 19, 2013, 17:24 GMT

I wish Hafeez and Afridi would get injured too with shoaib malik. Abdul Razzaq will definitely be missed in the tour. Infact, how come he gets injured and suddenly sent back, because hamstring could be gone in few days normally teams they wait for player to get it recovered here they sent him back straight away!strange
Abdul Razzaq's injury is a big blow for pakistan!!!

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 17:15 GMT

Drop Afridi and pick a specialist bowler like Anwar Ali or Bilawal Bhatti.. In T20 you can afford go with 6 batsmen. There is no difference between the batting of Afridi and another bowler. Afridi usually lasts for less than 10 deliveries in ODIs and T20s.

android_user
on November 19, 2013, 16:45 GMT

Recently heard Najam Sethi say that the current lot is the best we have got right now. My question to him is are you kidding me? He knows nothing about cricket and follows the advice of the people around him. Just want to slap him really hard. Has he even heard of players like Sharjeel Khan, Shazad Ali, Zain Abbas, Sami Aslam(U19), Babar Azam, Akbar-Ur-Rahman, Usman Salahuddin, and finally Harris Sohail. The people on top and some current players are just not sincere with Pakistan cricket, just their to fill the vacant position and receive their pay cheque. Disappointed Pakistani fan:(

Behind_the_Wicket
on November 19, 2013, 16:35 GMT

Tip tip of rain and tuk tuk of Misbah can spoil the match anytime.I hope both will not effect the game.

muhammed.saad
on November 19, 2013, 16:29 GMT

anwar ali must be given one chance....

Akhsami
on November 19, 2013, 16:05 GMT

A bit harsh to say the 2nd match was not a close as the scoreline suggests. Had Tanvir and Afridi not had brain melts in Steyn's last two overs, the result would have been different. Pak were on target for most of the chase but gave it up at the end like they did atleast 3 times during that series.

On another note look for the team to play with a lot more harmony now that Malik and Razzak are out.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 16:03 GMT

Mclaren Though Good for ODI not compatible for T20.Pick David Wiese for Mclaren,Dnt put Aaron Phangiso the worst spinner, he will give away 50 run by 4 over,Keep remain Tahir.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 15:23 GMT

I would like them play with the following combination in the following batting order:
1. Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Umar Akmal (wk), 4 Sohaib Maqsood 5 Asad Shafiq 6 Mohammad Hafeez (capt,) 7. Bilawal Bhatti 8.Shahid Afridi, 9. Sohail Tanvir, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid Khan
*if misbah is available for selection, then they must pick him ahead of asad shafiq and send him @2 & send jamshed @5.
*am desperate to see U Akmal play @3 as he has done well there in all 3 formats in the past.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 15:05 GMT

2 gone back so pak have only 15 men squad left and that includes misbah & asad shafiq Which are not 1st choice t20 players . If they decide to leave misbah out then it will be more or less same team as mentioned in article.

Pakistan team suggested in this article looks better than the one that played in t20s in UAE. Umar Amin should be preferred over Asad Shafiq any day. Its in news that Misbah might return to t20 side. I hope rain stays away so that the series doesn't get reduced to one game like last time.

atta-ul-hai
on November 19, 2013, 15:02 GMT

Best of Luck to PAK! hoping of rain staying away. if it stays away we could have gr8 entertainment folks.

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2013, 4:50 GMT

If we lose with fresh legs, at least these fresh legs will gain some experience for the World Cup.

Please note, we have continued to lose cricket matches with the old players. They all are too old to play T20 cricket.

We need to groom young, promising players. You do not have to go too far; look at the Indian team. They even rested Sehwag and Zaheer. To groom young players, this SA tour would have been the perfect opportunity, which has been squandered.

The selectors need to consult Waqar, who as hawkish eye and can point out the right, promising, young cricket players.

atta-ul-hai
on November 19, 2013, 15:02 GMT

Best of Luck to PAK! hoping of rain staying away. if it stays away we could have gr8 entertainment folks.

mzm149
on November 19, 2013, 15:02 GMT

Pakistan team suggested in this article looks better than the one that played in t20s in UAE. Umar Amin should be preferred over Asad Shafiq any day. Its in news that Misbah might return to t20 side. I hope rain stays away so that the series doesn't get reduced to one game like last time.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 15:05 GMT

2 gone back so pak have only 15 men squad left and that includes misbah & asad shafiq Which are not 1st choice t20 players . If they decide to leave misbah out then it will be more or less same team as mentioned in article.

I would like them play with the following combination in the following batting order:
1. Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Umar Akmal (wk), 4 Sohaib Maqsood 5 Asad Shafiq 6 Mohammad Hafeez (capt,) 7. Bilawal Bhatti 8.Shahid Afridi, 9. Sohail Tanvir, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid Khan
*if misbah is available for selection, then they must pick him ahead of asad shafiq and send him @2 & send jamshed @5.
*am desperate to see U Akmal play @3 as he has done well there in all 3 formats in the past.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 16:03 GMT

Mclaren Though Good for ODI not compatible for T20.Pick David Wiese for Mclaren,Dnt put Aaron Phangiso the worst spinner, he will give away 50 run by 4 over,Keep remain Tahir.

Akhsami
on November 19, 2013, 16:05 GMT

A bit harsh to say the 2nd match was not a close as the scoreline suggests. Had Tanvir and Afridi not had brain melts in Steyn's last two overs, the result would have been different. Pak were on target for most of the chase but gave it up at the end like they did atleast 3 times during that series.

On another note look for the team to play with a lot more harmony now that Malik and Razzak are out.

muhammed.saad
on November 19, 2013, 16:29 GMT

anwar ali must be given one chance....

Behind_the_Wicket
on November 19, 2013, 16:35 GMT

Tip tip of rain and tuk tuk of Misbah can spoil the match anytime.I hope both will not effect the game.

android_user
on November 19, 2013, 16:45 GMT

Recently heard Najam Sethi say that the current lot is the best we have got right now. My question to him is are you kidding me? He knows nothing about cricket and follows the advice of the people around him. Just want to slap him really hard. Has he even heard of players like Sharjeel Khan, Shazad Ali, Zain Abbas, Sami Aslam(U19), Babar Azam, Akbar-Ur-Rahman, Usman Salahuddin, and finally Harris Sohail. The people on top and some current players are just not sincere with Pakistan cricket, just their to fill the vacant position and receive their pay cheque. Disappointed Pakistani fan:(

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2013, 17:15 GMT

Drop Afridi and pick a specialist bowler like Anwar Ali or Bilawal Bhatti.. In T20 you can afford go with 6 batsmen. There is no difference between the batting of Afridi and another bowler. Afridi usually lasts for less than 10 deliveries in ODIs and T20s.